Getting the word out….

“…Estate 1856 in Dry Creek Valley is likely the best affordable winery that you have never heard of.”

Yeah, when we read Jeff Kralik’s, (aka The Drunken Cyclist), review a couple of weeks ago, we were pretty blown away. In fact, Rob & I immediately took to our phones to share the news…..remembering too late that while it was 7am in Boston, Janice & Brian were still snoozing in California. Sorry about that.

Jeff actually discovered us a couple years back, when we invited him to the ranch to taste our 2011 vintage. Since then, Jeff has been a strong proponent of our wines, most recently including our 2013 Zinfandel in the final wine dinner he hosted in Philadelphia. So, yes we knew he liked our wines but still, we could not have expected such a bold proclamation.

Once our excitement normalized, our attention turned to that last part of the sentence, “…that you have never heard of.” It’s true. As a tiny, tiny, relatively new winery, with no tasting room and limited distribution, very few folks outside of our circle of friends & family know our brand. But we are on a mission to change that!

Over the next week, we’ll be highlighting the 2013 varietal wines Jeff wrote about, starting today with the 2013 Malbec. His review is below.

If there were ever a brooding wine, this would be it. Dark. Really dark. Even opaque (I like that word). Fantastic blackberry, cassis, cedar, and clove: sounds like a fantastic combination, and it is. Whoa. The palate is slightly fruitier than the nose, but there is also even more intrigue: earth, depth, fruit intermingle as if they were all cousins at a Jewish wedding, lifting the chair to the sky. I knew before I opened this bottle that this was one of my favorite “secret” wineries in Dry Creek. Now I know it–this is fantastic and underscores my faith in Janice as a winemaker. This might be the best domestic Malbec I have had. Whoa. Outstanding. 92-94 Points. – Jeff Kralik, The Drunken Cyclist, July 2016